Display stand



July 24, 1956 s. H. LOEB 2,755,583

DISPLAY STAND Filed July 16, 1954 J 4 INVENTOR STEPHEN H. LOEB A. ORNEY,

DISPLAY STAND Stephen H. Loeb, Brentwood, Mo., assignor to Arveco Corporation, a corporation of Missouri Application July 16, 1954, Serial No. 443,913

3 Claims. c1. 40-124 This invention relates to display stands generally, but more especially to stands adapted to be placed on supporting surfaces in stores, windows and the like, for properly displaying all sorts of relatively small articles of merchandise, as for instance ear-rings that are arranged on cards.

The invention has among its objects the production of such a stand that is relatively simple in construction, low in cost, sufficiently light in weight to be readily portable from one location to another as desired, sufliciently sturdy to readily withstand the use to which it would ordinarily be subjected, neat and attractive in appearance, and which will be otherwise satisfactory and efficient for use wherever deemed applicable.

One of the important objects of my invention is to so construct such a stand that it may display a multiplicity of said objects thereon, in an eye-appealing manner, with said objects mounted at an angle most suited for convenient visibility.

Another object of the invention is to so construct said device that it will include a plurality of vertically spacedapart card-holding rack members mounted as a unit for rotation, all of said rack members being mounted at their centers only so that there is an open space between adjacent rack members so as to permit visual inspection on both sides of the rack members at the same time, but in addition there will be no wall structure which might distract the viewer from the merchandise itself.

An added object of my invention is to so construct such a stand that the individual rack members thereof will be substantially cruciform in plan view, so that if desired, items different in shape from those that are displayed on the cross arms may be mounted adjacent the top of the' stand and suspend therefrom interposed between the adja cent cross arms of the tier of rack members.

A further object of the invention is to-so construct such a display stand, with individual rack members made of relatively light-Weight sheet metal, each such rack member being of generally cruciform shape and made of a pair of substantially channel-shape in transverse cross-section cross arms, one cross arm of the pair overlying the other, each such cross arm having its pair of side flanges extending downwardly and outwardly from its web portion and with the terminal edges of the longitudinally extending flanges bent reentrantly outwardly and upwardly to form the card-receiving grooves that extend for substantially the entire length of the arms.

A still further object of my invention is to construct each rack member to consist of a pair of channel-shaped elements with one arm of each pair cut out approximately at its central portion for substantially the full height of the flanges and of such size and shape as to receive the mating arm therein, so that the upper web faces of the two mating arm elements are substantially flush.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described and the uses and advantages mentioned, will be obvious to those skilled in the art to nited States Patent ice which this invention appertains and as will be apparent from the following specification.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel form, arrangement, construction and combination herein shown and described, and as will be more clearly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure l is a top plan view of the device;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, with some cards shown in place thereon;

Figure 3 is a vertical crosss-ectional view of the same, taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a dis-assembled view of the intersecting portions of one of the rack members; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional detail, taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a display stand for relatively small articles of merchandise so as to catch the eye of possible purchasers and to permit of rapid and easy inspection thereof, such items preferably being carded as indicated at A. Such a stand may be used in any number of possible locations, as for instance on counters, shelves, floors, windows, etc., of stores, or in fact wherever it is desired to show a large number of similar carded articles. It may be mentioned here that this stand is sufliciently light in weight to permit of ready shifting and removal from one place to another.

There may be any desired number of rack members to each stand, so the display may be built to any desired height best suited to the needs of the'user, the plurality of rack members being arranged in a vertical tier one above the other, adjacent rack members being spaced apart a sufiicient distance to permit ready and easy removal of cards at will fro-m any rack member without disturbing the cards on the rest of the stand.

Each rack member is of generally cruciform shape in plan view, and in this instance each such rack member consists of a pair of cross arm' elements 1 and 2, one overlying the other to form the cruciform shape to said rack member. Said arms are preferably made of suitable gauge sheet metal that canwithstand the use to which the device will ordinarily be subjected, and each arm is substantially channel-shape in transverse cross-section, with the web portions 3 arranged to lie uppermost in a substantially horizontal plane and having a' pair of opposed flanges 4i and 5 depending downwardly and outwardly from said web portion, and with the longitudinally extending terminal edges of the flanges bent reentrantly outwardly and upwardly to close to the main body portion of the flange toform the grooves or slots 6 along the bottom edges of said flanges. These grooves permit ready insertion and removal of the cards at any point along the rack length.

It is preferred that one arm element of each pair that form the respective rack members, be provided with a cut-out 7 at its central portion by removing substantially all of the flange material thereat in so doing, this cut-out being of such a size and shape as to be complemental to and snugly receive the mating cross arm therein, with the top faces of the Web portions being approximately flush inasmuch as said arms are made of relatively light gauge sheet metal.

The pair of cross arms constituting each rack member may be secured together in any suitable manner to prevent shifting of one arm relative to the other, as for instance by spot welding at the superimposed web portions, and in order to better hold said arms together for such fastening one of the arms may be provided with detents 8 struck from the web and the other arm may be provided with dimples or recesses to receive said detents, as more clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Attention is called to the fact that the side flanges of said cross arms are not at exact right angles to their web portion, but lie at a different angle to the latter, this thereby providing a back to support said carded articles at the angle best suited for permitting convenient and easy inspection of the cards.

Each rack member has a hole centrally therethrough to receive a rod or spindle 9 that extends upright from a base member. Tubular elements 10 are arranged between adjacent rack members and encircle said rod, the length of said tubes determining the final spacing apart of the adjacent rack members and preferably to define spacing between the latter in any amount and at least as great as that of card height, so as to permit easy removal of cards from any place on the rack members.

A plate or other planar element 11 is carried at the bottom of said spindle, and end nuts 12 and 13 are adjustable at the outermost ends of the spindle whereby tightening of said nuts will clamp the rack members, spindle, tubular elements and plate 11 together as a fixed unit, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3.

It is to be especially noted here that the rack members are supported from their central portions only, to thereby provide clear and unobstructed open spaces between the tiered rack members, and so that all cards carried on a cross arm are arranged in opposed or back-to-back position and may be viewed by the purchaser or attendant to readily ascertain both the front and rear sides of the articles thus displaced, all at a single glance. This is quite useful when one desires to ascertain quickly which cards in any cross arm are of interest at the moment, as for instance in the case of ear-rings, it is possible to readily pick out only one type of ear-ring, say the screw-back type rather than the clip type.

A base member 14 of any desired size and shape, but preferably of greater area than that of the plate 11, is provided with an opening centrally therethrough to register with the openings through the rack members and to receive the lower end of the spindle therethrough, and one or more nuts 15 is threadedly adjustable on the spindle beneath said base member.

In order to render the device easily operable, an antifriction element, such as the annular element 15 with the bearing balls carried by the same, may be interposed between said base member and plate 11 to engage both members and carry the weight of the rack structure and transmit the load therebetween. In order to properly center said annular element 15, an element 16 of a size and shape to fit within said annulus with a limited lateral play therebetween, is aflixed to said base element and projects upwardly therefrom to fit into said annulus.

The upper nut 12 may be arranged for carrying some cooperating means, as for instance a price card or advertisement 17, or to receive a supplemental structure whereby additional and perhaps difierently shaped articles of merchandise than those displayed on the main rack members hereinbefore described, may be carried in such a way as to permit necklaces and other elongated articles of merchandise to hang downwardly therefrom in the spaces between the arms of the rack members.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of the invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement, construction and combination of parts herein shown and described, except as limited by the state of the art to which this invention appertains and by the claims hereunto appended.

I claim:

1. In a display stand for carded articles, a base member, a spindle connected thereto to extend thereabove, a plurality of cruciform-shaped substantially horizontally elongated racks each having a pair of longitudinallyextending card-receiving inclined sides in spaced-apart superimposed relation on said spindle, tubular spacers encircling said spindle and engaging between adjacent racks, means vertically adjustable on said spindle to clamp said spacers and racks together, and anti-friction means between the lowermost rack and said base member whereby said racks are rotatable as a unit relative to said base member.

2. In a display stand for carded articles, a base member, 21 spindle extending upwardly from said base member, a plurality of cruciform-shaped substantially horizontally elongated racks each having a pair of longitudinallyextending card-receiving grooves along their lower edges and coextensive with said rack, said racks arranged in vertically spaced apart relation on said spindle, a plate fixed to the under side of the lowermost rack, means interlocking all of said racks to said spindle as a single unit, and anti-friction means between said base member and plate and engaging both of them so that said unit is rotatable relatively of said base member.

3. In a display stand for removably holding and displaying carded articles, upstanding means carried by said base member, a plurality of cruciform-shaped racks in vertically spaced-apart relation on said means, each rack being of substantially channel-shape transverse crosssection with their upper portions providing the webs and with their side flanges extending downwardly and outwardly and thence bent reentrantly to provide exterior card-receiving grooves, each of said racks being supported entirely by said upstanding means so that there is a substantially entirely open space between vertically adja cent racks so that cards may be arranged on one flange in back-to-back relation to similarly arranged cards on the other flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 469,018 Kayser Feb. 16, 1892 1,601,401 List Sept. 28, 1926 1,782,257 Dumler Nov. 18, 1930 1,844,444 Schoolcraft Feb. 9, 1932 2,129,426 Ienks Sept. 6, 1938 2,600,770 Hofacer June 17, 1952 

